In a battle involving thousands of ships, it was impossible to notice a single Akkadian shuttle warping into the system. Moreover, the AN*US forces probably would have dismissed it as insignificant- what possible difference could a single shuttle make against one of the largest assembled fleets the brikverse had ever seen?

They were about to learn the hard way.

Scythian Admiral Smith Tarquin of the 238th Marine Expeditionary Corps had first received a terrified, half-intelligible transmission from the crew of a Savager-class frigate- it ended with what could only be described as a gargle of someone’s head being ripped off. Soon, however, he noticed the bridge lights of ship after ship deactivating, converting them to dead, aimless metal hulks in space. Ideas of Shraag and meson bolts danced around his head from the few descriptions he managed to obtain- but with the ships still intact, the hypothesis didn’t seem to fit.

The battle began to turn against the AN*US, their fire petering and the Third Alliance emboldening their counter-offensive. This mysterious force began to seriously worry Captain Tarquin.

---

The crew of the USS Donald Reagan gasped as they turned their heads towards the slumped body of Admiral Greenderp. The hooded figure was robed in blue, his sword stained with blood- drops of blood that gently fell to the floor, blood that was being absorbed by the sword- and making it stronger.

The USA was too new and modern of an empire to understand what was going on, having never heard any of the legends of the days of yore of the brikverse. The few that made it to the ears of the public were dismissed as folly.

The figure withdrew another toy from his cape, and with a swift motion summoned a wind. Shortly thereafter there was a thump as every single crew-member’s head fell to the ground.

The mysterious figure transmitted a message to all the ships in the battle- a message of hope and inspiration to some, a message bringing doom and despair to others.

He then hijacked the controls of the great super-carrier, directed it on a new course towards planet New York, and disappeared just as he came.